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VIDEO GAME ON DISASTER REDUCTION,12 June 2007 Print E-mail

Spotlight

New Delhi, 12 June 2007

VIDEO GAME ON DISASTER REDUCTION

NEW DELHI, June 13 (INFA): Children can now learn how to respond to and mitigate disasters through a new internet video game, launched recently by the United Nations.

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) has started a project, “Stop Disaster Game” as part of its campaign on education called “Disaster Risk Reduction”. The projects starts at Schools and teaches how to build safer villages and cities against disasters.

Children will learn how the location and construction materials can make a difference when disaster strikes and how early warning systems evacuation plans and education can save lives and livelihoods.

The UN experts believe that had such systems and plans existed at the time of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami scores of thousands of the more than 200,000 lives lost could have been saved.

Produced by Playerthree, an English company, and downloadable in less than three minutes, the game gives players different types of missions to accomplish within a specific budget and time limit before a simulated hurricane, earthquake, flood, tsunami or wildfire strikes.

They have to choose between five scenarios with three levels of difficulty and the winners will be the ones who save more people and livelihoods.

At present the game is available only on the internet and in English but a multi-language version will be released on International Disaster Reduction Day on 10 October.

“We are aware that not all children have easy access to Internet and we are already preparing a DVD format to reach more youngsters in remote areas in Africa, Asia and Pacific or Latin America and Caribbean,” says ISDR Director, Briceno.

“We are also thinking of adding new scenarios such as drought which is a devastating disaster in many parts of the world,” he added.

The ISDR previously produced a board game called Riskland, aimed at children aged 6 to 10. The game has been a very successful educational tool and has been translated into many local languages.

The ISDR is not the only UN body turning to internet games to raise the awareness of youngsters. In 2005, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) launched ‘Food Force’ (www.food-force.com), an internet video game with a virtual world of planes launching food airdrops over crisis zones and emergency trucks struggling up treacherous roads under rebel threat with emergency supplies to teach children the arduous but vital task of feeding the world’s hungry. Millions of youngsters around the world have since downloaded the game.

 

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